Procedures for addressing serious problems in field performance have been developed and made available to all Field Instructors and students. These procedures deal with those problems that are more severe than would be expected in the usual course of field learning. The intent of these procedures is to:
1. Maintain standards in performance;
2. Provide students with clear, detailed feedback regarding identified problems and performance expectations; and
3. Provide students with due process.
The procedures consist of four levels of problem resolution or appeal within the School of Social Work.
The first level usually involves only the student and Field Instructor
The second level involves the student’s Field Instructor and Faculty Field Liaison. This may also involve the Field Education Director upon the recommendation of the Field Faculty Liaison);
The third level involves a formal written contract between the student, the Field Instructor and Field Faculty Liaison. At this stage a Notification of Academic and Professional Concern would be issued.
The fourth level of problem resolution is a request for the School’s Academic and Professional Standards Committee of the MSW program to review the matter. In addition, problem resolution and appeal procedures through the university are always available to the student.
Problem Resolution or Appeal Procedures to be Followed in Addressing Issues in Field Instruction.
The MSW Program in the School of Social Work at San José State University is committed to helping the student learn and achieve. To this end it is believed that potential obstacles to the development of professional practice should be identified as early as possible in order to best assist the student in overcoming them. Obstacles may include: Severe learning blocks, failure to carry out assigned task and responsibilities, inappropriate behavior in the agency, serious failure to meet client needs, and failure to demonstrate practice skills expected at various levels of progress in the field education course. In addition, there may be unresolved disagreements between the student and Field Instructor related to student evaluation, job duties, or other aspects of the field experience. This is not an exhaustive list, but broad categories of significant problems. When areas of concern are identified by the Field Instructor they should be promptly communicated to the student and the Field Faculty Liaison.
a. Area(s) of concern for student’s learning and adequate performance are identified by the Field Instructor and/or the student and verbally discussed; b. Both the Field Instructor and the student should make the Faculty Field Liaison
aware of the situation.
2. Level II - Faculty Field Liaison Assessment
The Faculty Field Liaison makes an informed assessment of the problem situation. This assessment process includes talking with the student, the Field Instructor, and any other pertinent agency staff, classroom faculty, etc. as appropriate. This may also include reviewing student work and other available and relevant materials. This level includes a meeting between the Field Instructor, the student, and the Faculty Field Liaison. The student’s Advisor as well as relevant Program faculty (i.e. Title IV-E Coordinator/MHIP Coordinator, etc.) are also made aware of concerns at this level.
3. Level III - Formal Written Contract and Notification of Academic or Professional Concern
a. If after completing Level II, the Faculty Field Liaison determines that a formal written contract for performance improvement needs to be developed, the Field Instructor and the Faculty Field Liaison, with input from the student, will develop the contract.
b. The written contract outlines steps towards improvement to be taken by the student, with support from the Field Instructor and the Faculty Field Liaison. The contract:
i. Identifies the problem areas
ii. Spells out steps towards improvement that the student must take iii. Outlines a process for evaluation
iv. Specifies a time frame (usually 2-3 weeks) for demonstration of significant improvement
v. Outlines possible outcomes
c. Along with this contract, a Notification of Academic or Professional Concern must be filed by the Faculty Field Liaison with the School of Social Work. d. Possible outcomes:
i. Agreement is reached on the conditions of the contract. The student follows through with the improvement plan resulting in satisfactory completion of contract within the identified time frame.
complete the terms of the contract. However, student does demonstrate sufficient progress towards resolution to warrant an extension of the time frame for the contract. Extensions are made as addenda to the contract, again specifying problems and performance requirements within a designated time frame for completion of the contract.
iii. Agreement is reached on the conditions of the contract, the student follows through with improvement plan, but does not satisfactorily meet the conditions of the contract within the specified time frame. The student is terminated from the field placement with a No Credit (NC) grade for the field course. At this point, the student may proceed to Level IV.
iv. Agreement is not reached on the conditions of the contract. The Faculty Field Liaison, in consultation with the Field Education Director,
determines the next appropriate steps to take.
e. Evaluation of the student in terms of satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily meeting the conditions of the contract is done by the Field Instructor in close consultation with the Faculty Field Liaison.
4. Level IV - Review By or Appeal To the Academic and Professional Standards Committee
Students may request a review or appeal by the Academic and Professional Standards Committee.
a. The written request for a review or appeal by the Committee is submitted by the student to the MSW Program Coordinator. The student may include any
pertinent materials that are relevant to the issue.
b. Upon receipt of completed materials, the MSW Program Coordinator schedules a confidential Committee meeting as soon as feasible. The hearing is attended by, at minimum, the MSW Program Coordinator, the BASW Program Coordinator, and the Director of Field Education. The student’s Faculty Advisor is also invited to attend. The student is invited to attend part of the meeting and present his/her perspective. The student may bring one other person such as a student advocate, Ombudsman, or other supportive person. This Committee is primarily a level of problem resolution, and lawyers are not permitted to attend on behalf of the student.
c. The Academic and Professional Standards Committee submits all the
documentation and its recommendations in writing to the Director of the School of Social Work. A copy of the recommendations is also sent to the Faculty Advisor. Recommendations may include, when relevant, whether or not the university should place the student on Academic-Administrative Probation, or whether the student should be disqualified from the university. If the Committee
may cover other learning objectives, remedial course work, and other factors related to field instruction.
f. The Director of the School of Social Work communicates the decision in writing to the student, the faculty member involved, and to the Graduate Advisor, with a copy to the Chair of the Academic and Professional Standards Committee. 5. Emergency Situations
In instances where the Field Instructor feels that the student’s handling of a specific situation poses immediate physical, emotional or psychological danger to client, co- workers, self or others, the prior procedures are waived, and the student is removed from the field agency immediately. It is always the right of the agency to terminate a student’s placement. It is expected that such a decision will be implemented ONLY in extreme cases after consultation with the Faculty Field Liaison and the Field Education Director. After a thorough investigation by the Field Education Program of the situation and of the student’s performance, appropriate next steps will be determined.. The NASW Code of Ethics will be adhered to at all times. The student may file an appeal with the Academic and Professional Standards Committee. This appeal must be filed within four (4) weeks of the award of the grade.
Early Termination of Placement
A change in field work placement will not be permitted after it is initially approved and the student has started his/her placement. The only exception is covered below.
Exception: A student's request for change in placement once it has begun will be considered only if there are irresolvable issues. It is very difficult to develop an adequate learning experience for a student in a new placement in mid-semester or mid-year. Requests for changes of placement must involve active participation and approval of the Faculty Field Liaison. The final decision about termination and replacement is made by the Director of Field Education.
Problems Identified by Student in the Placement
The foregoing procedures focus on marginal student performance. Sometimes problems arise which may not be related to student performance, but to circumstances in the agency or issues relating to the Field Instructor. These problems need to be addressed and resolved as quickly as possible. In these situations, the student has the following responsibilities.
Procedures to Assess the Learning Environment
1. The Faculty Field Liaison must be informed immediately if an issue develops that potentially affects a student's continued placement;
2. A Faculty Field Liaison/student/Field Instructor conference must be held to resolve the Issue;
3. If the issue is not resolved, a student must submit a written request to the Faculty Field Liaison, stating the reason for the request and the steps taken to attempt to resolve the Issue;
4. The Faculty Field Liaison forwards the request to the Director of Field Education with a recommendation; and
5. After review by and consultation with the Faculty Field Liaison, the Director of Field Education approves or disapproves the request for termination. The Director of Field Education will communicate the decision to the Liaison, the student and the agency and:
a. Develops a new placement for student if request is approved; or
b. Follows through on problem resolution with Liaison, Student, and Field Instructor if the request is denied.
Change in Placement or Re-Placement
Occasionally a field placement assignment may not be appropriate due to differences in learning styles or expectations, or to personal conflicts or other unanticipated circumstances that interfere with effective learning. The liaison then serves as a mediator, attempting to resolve these differences and to work out an educational plan that meets mutual needs. However, if the issues cannot be reconciled, the liaison may, with or without the concurrence of the Field Instructor and/or the student, recommend a change in placement.
In such a situation, the Faculty Field Liaison assumes responsibility for selecting and
facilitating the most suitable re-placement. An interview with the new Field Instructor and agency is required, and information about the previous situation is openly shared and discussed. It may be necessary for the student to put in additional or extended time in the new placement to make up for earlier time and teaching missed. These arrangements are negotiated by the student, the Faculty Field Liaison and the new Field Instructor.
The student is expected to complete the termination process in the initial placement, which includes administrative requirements of the agency as well as termination contacts with assigned clients. The original Field Instructor is also expected to submit a summary of the student’s field experience to date, which is shared with the student and becomes part of the school record.
In rare situations, an agency may unilaterally request that a student be terminated from the placement. If this is due to concern about the student’s suitability for that particular setting, then the liaison must be involved in order to review the situation, to provide the student with due process and to develop further plans. If the request is due to some severe or drastic failure on the part of the student, it may be necessary to assign the student a grade of No Credit (NC) for the field course.
The timing during the academic year is a crucial factor in implementing re-placements. The earlier this decision is made, the easier it will be for the Faculty Field Liaison to locate suitable alternatives and for the student to make up missed time and assignments. It is usually not possible to arrange re-placements once the fall semester has been completed. If at such a point in time it is not possible for the student to continue in the placement, and there is not a suitable re-placement immediately available, re-placement will be postponed until the following academic year. At such time the student will then be required to enroll in the appropriate corresponding practice course.